Churches Remain at the Front Line in Disaster Relief
As large sections of New Orleans are set to reopen next week after government tests confirmed that the air is safe to breathe, churches are continually bringing relief and hope to hurricane victims.
As large sections of New Orleans are set to reopen next week after government tests confirmed that the air is safe to breathe, churches are continually bringing relief and hope to hurricane victims.
Christian denominations, including the Southern Baptist Convention and the Presbyterian Church (USA), recently opened up easier online access to assist the thousands displaced by the hurricane.
North American Mission Board President Robert E. Reccord announced the launch of the “Adopt a Church” and “Houses of Hope” initiatives on its website (www.namb.net), where individuals can register online to help damaged Southern Baptist churches recover and bring relief to evacuees in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, according to Baptist Press.
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Partnering churches for the Adopt a Church initiative are requested to send missions and construction teams to help rebuild devastated churches, provide care packages as well as training teams to encourage and strengthen staff, collect special offering and help pastors get back on their feet to minister to their church communities.
Those who contribute to House of Hope help provide temporary housing for Katrina evacuees through apartment rentals, the use of vacant missionary housing or motor homes, or with local hotels.
The PC(USA) also just launched a new website (www.pcusa.org/katrina), offering volunteer opportunities and ways to provide monetary support for the relief effort.
While Presbyterian Disaster Assistance relief and recovery teams have been dispatched across five southern states, church leaders express concerns about filling up the pews.
"We hope that in a year's time we'll be approaching normalcy ... but probably with greatly reduced numbers," said the Rev. Neale Miller, pastor of Lakeview Presbyterian Church in New Orleans.
According to the Presbyterian News Service, at least six months are required to sanitize what is salvageable and another six months for people to settle themselves back in their home communities.
In the meantime, United Methodist churches in the affected areas have been at the front lines of servicing Katrina victims.
"The churches of Louisiana and Mississippi have carried out remarkable humanitarian service under the most difficult conditions imaginable," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist Communications, to the United Methodist News Service.
Along with up and running shelters, the Louisiana Conference established a storm center housed at the conference center in Baton Rouge.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has also planned to provide assistance on a long-term basis as they work with local churches and institutions to rebuild the devastated communities.
Currently, flooding has reduced from 80 percent down to 40 to 50 percent in New Orleans and around 250,000 people are to settle in the next three to six months as parts of the city reopen.
